I was trying to track down my favorite Skinned Teen song when I did the initial UK post – no luck. It turns out the record was sitting a few feet away in my girlfriend's collection the whole time, hehe. I'm not sure if this was its first appearance or not, but regardless..

While digging through her records I also found the Heavenly P.U.N.K. Girl 10", which is one of only a handful of records I regret getting rid of. Back in the mid-90s, nearly everyone I knew owned this and it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all their punk/hardcore/grind records. I didn't realize until now that this isn't a proper EP - just two singles combined for the US market.

Speaking of Slampt, the label was run by Pete and Rachel from Avocado Baby, Pussycat Trash and, later, Red Monkey. What I said about Huggybear missing out on the early 00s revisiting angular, rhythmic punk can be said for Red Monkey as well, though in RM's case that sound became popular again right when they were near the end of their run.

A few years before Slampt and Red Monkey dissolved, my band at that time opened for RM on one of their US tour stops. They were really amped about the Petty Crime EP they'd released and I think everyone I was with left with a copy. Petty Crime was Layla from Skinned Teen's band, along with Peter Rojas, who recently started RCRD LBL. It's still one of my favorite EPs of the 90s.

I caught Switch at Republic last night. I was pretty amped for it and he did a great set of predominantly new tracks, including a Hervé remix of Bucketheads' "The Bomb" (I'd need to hear that one again before commenting, heh).

He didn't drop this one last night and it's not new, but it's new to me and probably the best thing I've heard from him in a while:

On a completely different tip, I've been caught up listening to the Bottomless Pit album for the last couple weeks. I found out about it via Scratch, but it was actually released back in November. The band features 2/3 of Silkworm, who I regretfully never really checked out, along with the former drummer from Seam, who I loved. Had I heard it last year, the album would definitely have made my best-of-the-year list.

Sean Finnegan, drummer for DC hardcore legends VOID, died last week at 43. They weren't the best or most consistent DC band (uh, Potions For Bad Dreams, anyone?) but amongst the people I know they were always a favorite, and their early releases are all killer. Void were much more raw and frantic than any other band of that time, fusing an unconventional guitar style similar to Greg Ginn's with their very loose style of DC hardcore. Like a lot of DC bands their sound was ahead of its time and influenced a lot of bands of the 90s.

Sean Finnegan (of Void) Passes Away At 43

2.4.08

We are sad to announce that Sean Finnegan, the drummer from Void and an original member of the Dischord family, passed away on Wednesday January 30th of an apparent heart attack, he was 43. Sean's family will receive friends Monday 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. at HARRY H. WITZKE'S FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, INC., 4112 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City, Maryland. Sean played in Void while they we're active from 1980-1983 and was recently working on the set of the HBO production, "The Wire". An obituary and guest book can be found in the Baltimore Sun. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Sean's many friends and family members.

In lieu of flowers Sean's family ask that donations may be made to the Fisher House, Walter Reed Hospital , Washington, D.C.

..it can all be boiled down to this: There have been better bands, louder bands, and drunker bands, but there has never been a better, drunker, louder band than the Replacements, and the second two qualifiers wouldn’t matter one whit without the first.